The Pet Valu Fit Pet Project

This is Tessie, Alice Spence’s previous dog. (Meet her current dog Roxy in the last slide.) Here Tessie is with her good friend Liv. Tessie was a rescue dog from Opaskwayak Cree Nation, rescued when she was only a day old and the umbilical cord was still attached. It didn’t seem she could survive, but with tender loving care, she did. Unfortunately, Alice says, they loved her way too much, spoiling her with treats, gravy on her food and jujubes. Tessie's weight crept upwards. To make matters worse, she had very short legs and her body became very round. Once Tessie had packed on the extra pounds, it was very difficult to get them off. Exercise was almost impossible due to arthritis. Tessie did make it to the ripe old age of 13. Considering her obesity and mobility difficulties, this was exceptional. Alice’s advice? Don't love your pets to death. Junk food and table scraps are not doing your dog any favours. Pet Valu’s Fit Pet Project

Doug Speirs' dog Zoe is weighed and checked out by Dr. Jim Broughton at Exclusively Cats on Corydon Avenue. Doug is very concerned about Zoe, who at 19 lbs is 36 per cent overweight. (BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ) Photo Store

Got a fat cat? A double-chinned dog? An obese bunny? A flabby fish?

Chances are you do, because, just like in the human population, there is a growing epidemic of overweight and obese pets.

Which is why we're launching The Fit Pet Project, a once-a-month series of articles in which we'll look at the issues surrounding portly pets.

We're going to be offering helpful tips and tricks to get your pet on the path to fitness, and I'll be sharing the trials and tribulations of my beloved wiener dog Zoe's own weight-loss journey.

Most of all, we want to hear from you. We've created a special email address -- fitpet@freepress.mb.ca -- and we'd like you to send photos of your pudgy pets, along with their names, ages and, if you're comfortable sharing, their current weight and target weight.

We're hoping you'll also share your concerns, advice, and the successes and challenges your pet has faced in their battle to shed unwanted pounds. Your stories can help motivate and inform other owners.

What's in it for you? For starters, we believe you'll end up with a much healthier pet, an animal that will be able to avoid the multitude of serious health risks that go along with being overweight or obese.

Prizes? Oh, yes, there will be prizes! The nice folks at Pet Valu, the sponsors of this project, are kicking in a pile of gift cards, which we'll be doling out by randomly drawing the names of owners taking part. And everyone who submits their pet's photo and information will get a copy of my critter-themed book, Bite-Sized Doug.

If you're a pet owner, we'd like you to join our pack. It's the best way to give your best friend a new leash on life.

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